A $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) has been awarded to principal investigator (PI) Mary Frecker, professor of mechanical engineering, to develop methods to design active origami structures to be used for applications in minimally invasive surgery, adaptive aircraft structures, reconfigurable robots and deployable space structures.

Nearly 10,000 Americans every year experience hyperparathyroidism, a chronic condition that causes high blood-calcium levels. The disease is caused if one or more of the four tiny parathyroid glands located behind the thyroid in the neck become enlarged and produce too much parathyroid hormone (PTH). This is usually caused by a benign tumor called a parathyroid adenoma. It sometimes causes osteoporosis, kidney stones, abdominal problems, depression and fatigue, among other illnesses.